To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the death of Kim Jong-il and the succession to the leadership of Kim Jong-un on the political situation in North Korea.

It appears that the succession from Kim Jong-il to Kim Jong-un is progressing smoothly. Everyday life is continuing and the situation in North Korea, and in the region more generally, is calm. However, the situation in North Korea remains unpredictable, making it difficult to forecast how the regime will react.

The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), welcomed the recent agreement between the US and the North Korea on North Korea's nuclear weapons programme in a public statement on 29 February. If the North Korean Government upholds this commitment and seizes this opportunity, it will find that the international community is ready to work with North Korea to achieve lasting peace and security on the Korean Peninsula.